Irrational diplomacy
Editorial
Yerkir/arm
27 May 05
No one can compete with the Turkish diplomacy in making irrational
decisions. The dynamics of the Armenian-Turkish relations and the
Turkish diplomacy shows come to prove this fact.
And while number of the reports in the Turkish press on these relations
are declining, a worrisome trend is emerging; it looks like that after
the events marking the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide,
Turks have launched a counter-attack.
It became clear at the Council of Europe summit that the Turkish
initiative to show a false dialogue with Armenia has failed. Now,
Ankara is attempting to begin a new project: Turkish government is
trying to sue the countries that have recognized the Armenian Genocide.
Upon his return from Warsaw, Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan, speaking
with his party members, indicated that the Armenian Genocide has no
historical and legal bases, and those countries, which have recognized
it, are guilty of various crimes against humanity.
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul told a Turkish TV station that
a separate case will be filed against anyone offending a Genocide
denier, and the court of that country will be requested to produce
evidence that the Genocide had happened. Interestingly, the Turkish
newspaper Star wrote that the Ottoman Empire was the first country to
recognize the Armenian Genocide: “In 1919, the court martial sentenced
to death those guilty of extermination of the Armenians.”
The newspaper said that the Ottoman Empire did nothing to solve the
Armenian cause. The author goes on to say that the official Turkish
history science gives no comprehensive answers to existing questions;
it just offers propaganda. But Turks are failing even in the sphere
of propaganda.
Giving way to official pressures, the planned conference on the
Armenian Genocide in Istanbul has been put off. Scholars who recognize
the fact of the Genocide were also invited to participate in the
conference, and according to media reports, this was the key reason
why the conference was cancelled.